Effects of hydroxy citric acid on body weight and serum hepcidin level in women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease a randomized clinical trial

Objective: This study aimed to investigate effects of hydroxy citric acid (HCA) extracts from Garcinia Cambogia on weight and serum hepcidin level in women with non- alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Design: Clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Islamic Republic of Iran Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 40 obese women aged 18–50 years with NAFLD, which were randomly allocated into two groups: “HCA group” (who received low-calorie diet plus six HCA tablets per day) and “Control group" (who received a low-calorie diet only), for eight weeks. Anthropometric parameters, dietary intake, physical activity level, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), high sensivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as well as, plasma level of hepcidin were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Results: There was a significant reduction in dietary intakes in both groups (p < 0.05). Weight and body mass index (BMI) decreased significantly in HCA group (p < 0.05), but the differences between two groups were not significant. Serum hepcidin level and hs-CRP increased slightly, but not significantly in both groups. Liver enzymes increased in the HCA group but decreased in the control group and there were significant differences between two groups (p = 0.004 for both of ALT and AST). Conclusion: HCA can improve weight loss in NAFLD patients, while it may not have favorable effects on liver enzymes, hs-CRP and serum hepcidin level.